New York Agrees To Implement The First Sweeping Gun Control Laws After The Newtown Massacre

The New York Senate on Monday passed the first sweeping new gun
measures since the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn.,
last month. The bill will be taken up by the New York assembly
this morning and is expected to pass easily into law.

The bill includes a strict assault weapons ban and will also
entail additional restrictions on ammunition and gun sales. New
York Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled the proposal on Monday after
weeks of negotiations with lawmakers, and waived the typical three-day waiting period
to get the bill passed immediately.

The beefed-up assault weapons ban will expand the definition of
what is considered an assault weapon. As it stands, assault
weapons are defined as rifles with at least two "military rifle
features." That threshold will be reduced to one, and the
features will also include pistol grips.

Sentences will be increased for gun crimes that include the
shooting of a first responder — called the Webster provision —
following the
killing of two firefighters responding to a call in the New
York town of Webster on Christmas Eve.

Here are some of the other features of the bill:

A therapist who believes a
patient made a credible threat to use a gun illegally will be
required to report it to a mental health director, who must
tell that information to the state.

Private sales of an assault
weapon to someone not in the immediate family are now subject
to a background check.

Internet sales of assault
weapons are banned.

Ammunition magazines will be
restricted to seven bullets, and current owners of high
capacity magazines have one year to sell them out of
state.

Failing to safely store a
weapon will be subject to a misdemeanor charge.

The bill passed the Senate 43-18, and the New York Assembly is
expected to pass it this morning after taking up the issue.
Governor Cuomo is widely expected to sign it following
a fiery State of the State speech and a distinct public
push for new measures.

Cuomo issued a statement after the bill passed in the Senate,
saying the lawmakers "made a bold statement, coming
together in a bipartisan, collaborative manner to meet the
challenges that face our state and our nation."